Tips on finding and choosing a Marriage Celebrant
In Australia, only authorized celebrants can legally solemnize marriages that take place throughout the country. There is a list available of all the authorised marriage celebrants held by the department for families and marriages within Australia. This list is known as the register of marriage celebrants. This list can be used to seek out authorized celebrants in your local area, state or territory. You can also use the search option to find the celebrant you require by their type of authorisation.
https://www.ag.gov.au/FamiliesAndMarriage/Marriage/Findamarriagecelebrant/
When it is time to plan your wedding, it can be an overwhelming experience knowing what to look for when choosing the celebrant to officiate at your ceremony. There are so many options available and for most couples they do not know where to begin their search. To help you here are some tips and expert advice on how to find a marriage celebrant and hopefully make the task a little less daunting for you.
Customise a ceremony to suit your personalities
When a couple first plans on getting married they often do not realize that the ceremony can be customized to their needs or wishes to make it their own unique ceremony to remember. The couple may put their personality into all the other aspects of their big day from the invitations to quirky little moments of sentimentality, yet neglect to add that personal touch to the wording of the ceremony itself.
Legally there are only 3 or 4 sentences that have to be spoken to complete the marriage process. Everything else can be customised to the couple’s wishes. A good celebrant will work with you, to reflect the style and theme of your wedding, your relationship together and your personalities to ensure these qualities are fully expressed during the ceremony that is truly your own.
Develop a relationship of trust with your chosen celebrant
When choosing the right celebrant you will need someone you are both comfortable with, a celebrant that understands your sense of humour and your ideas. The chosen celebrant should understand and fit in with your personalities as well as being well received by your guests. It is important that you build up a good working relationship with the celebrant over a period of time. It is not unusual to begin your wedding plans over a year in advance; these plans should include your chosen celebrant. A good a popular celebrant is booked up in advance and unless you commit to your chosen celebrant early in the planning process he or she may not be available at short notice.
You should allow the celebrant to learn about your relationship and any points you may want to include in your ceremony, such as details of deeply loved family member or friend who has sadly passed away. You should be able to discuss issues openly with your celebrant, be comfortable and honest with your discussions.
Be a little flexible or choose an unusual time
Every celebrant can only be in one area of the city at a chosen time and although celebrants try to be flexible in choosing the right time for each couple it is not always possible to please everyone due to other commitments. The most popular time for a wedding is on a Saturday between 2 and 4pm. A good way to avoid this and have a little more flexibility with your celebrant in regards to timing is to have a morning or evening ceremony. A wedding ceremony held in the early morning or during the twilight of the evening adds a certain romantic feel to the setting. Holding your wedding on a different day than the traditional Saturday also works when booking locations and vendors.
Sign a contract to confirm your chosen celebrant
Once you have found your chosen celebrant you should ensure a contract is signed to confirm that commitment. This then guarantees you will get what you expect on your big day. You should confirm the time, date, fees and location. It should also contain an outline of the terms and conditions for each party involved. Included in this contract should be the standard fee, costs of travel, and any other costs that have been explained to you as part of the services of your hiring a celebrant. Your celebrant should provide all of this for you to give you piece of mind that everything is covered on your big day.
Avoid any possible colour clashes
You should always ask what outfit the celebrant will be wearing to the wedding ceremony. You will not want the celebrant’s choice of clothing to clash with the outfits of the bridal party of groom. You want the celebrant to be memorable for the ceremony and not to take centre stage in the photos. A good suggestion is for the celebrant to blend easily with the chosen colour scheme or to wear something similar to the colours the groom is wearing. These tips will help with the overall tone of your wedding pictures.
Conclusion
By following these tips when you choose your celebrant you will have a memorable wedding ceremony that is personal for you as a couple as well as being a wonderful occasion for your guests.
